September 1st is International Primate Day, established by Animal Defenders International, to highlight the threats to and abuses of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom – the apes and monkeys.

In nature these intelligent, social animals generally live in complex societies, where they communicate and show compassion. But in the name of entertainment they suffer terribly, with infants torn from their mothers for training, often enduring terrible social isolation and deprived conditions.

This year International Primate Day is highlighting the suffering of primates in entertainment. Chimpanzees and monkeys suffer as they are turned into figures of derision dressed in clothes and forced to entertain people – actions which can undermine serious conservation efforts and even stimulate demand for animals to be snatched from the wild because people see these animals as amusing playthings.